Music Teachers miss you!

We created a video for the ECASD.  You get a sneak peek, the district will be sending this out to families soon!   Music teacher video  Miss making music with you!

Scat Singing

Hi Boys and Girls-  Are you singing every day?  This is a book about Louis Armstrong and scatting!  What is scat singing?  Listen to the story and you'll know!  When Louis Armstrong Taught Me to Scat by Muriel Harris Weinstein.  If you want to hear how Louis sounded when he scatted watch the video below!  Now you should try it.  Can you scat sing while you are playing?  You can grab a toy to scat sing with too!

 

Move It

Do you remember doing Move It! in the music room?  I love moving to classical music and seeing you experience it too!  Do any of you like baseball?  Do you know that the 3rd base coach gives signs to the players telling them strategies to run, wait, bunt or steal?  In this move it, a music teacher is using baseball signs!  I think you'll like doing it with him.  Enjoy!  Do you know what the name of the piece is?  Let me know!   Baseball Move It.

Rhythm Band

Here is a rhythm band idea.  Play a song that you can feel a steady beat.  I like to use Lyle Lovett's "Long Tall Texan."  

Keep a steady beat by counting 1, 2, 3, 4 over and over again.  How about playing with a friend?  Use the chart below to play along.  Wait?  What if you don't have a tambourine, sticks, triangle or drums at home?  What could you use?  See below for ideas.

• I think the tambourine is tricky, you want to find a metallic shaky ringing sound.  You could put washers, nuts, bolts or screws in a plastic Easter egg!
• For sticks use two wooden spoons and hit them together.
• To get a metallic ringing sound, like a triangle, try hitting silverware together.
• Drums are fun!  You could use a box with the wooden spoon as a mallet, the bottom of a pan or even an empty ice cream bucket.

To make your own homemade instruments, there are several websites to check out.  Here are two to get you started!  Red Tricycle Homemade instruments and Nancy's Homemade instruments.

Fun Google Doodle

There is a doodle that celebrates Oskar Fischinger's 117th Birthday.  He was a film maker who created wondering visuals connecting music and art.  Here's the link, I had fun playing with the doodle.  I bet Mrs. Janke would love it too!  Music and art connections happen all of the time.  Do you have any ideas of how music and art are connected?  Send me an email with your ideas!

Dance, Dance, Dance

Have you been moving to music at home?  Do you dance when you hear your favorite song?  Here are some moving ideas:  Play the freeze game, have a family member stop the music and you have to freeze in a statue shape!  When you make your statue experiment with the components below.

• Balance- which body parts are in contact with the floor?
• Facing- which direction is your body facing?  Is your head facing the same direction?
• Levels- which level of space are you exploring with your body?

Next try exploring balance, facing and levels when you are moving!  In this video, Someone You Loved, The Piano Guys have added dancers.  Watch as the dancers explore different levels, different facings, and balance.  It's so beautiful!  I hope you enjoy it.

  

Peter and the Wolf

Hi Lakeshore!  We study Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev in first grade so many of you have acted out the story and learned about the instruments in the orchestra.  Here is a beautiful video of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performing this popular story.  Enjoy Peter and the Wolf.